Cloud-based surveillance with intelligent tamper protection

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a security system includes a central communication unit and a first surveillance device. The central communication unit is communicatively connected over a network to cloud storage, by way of a first transmission channel and a second transmission channel. The second transmission channel is redundant with the first transmission channel. The first surveillance device configured to record first surveillance data, and is communicatively connected to the central communication unit by way of a third transmission channel and a fourth transmission channel. The fourth transmission channel is redundant with the third transmission channel. The first surveillance device is configured to transmit the first surveillance data to the central communication unit, and the central communication unit is configured to transmit the first surveillance data to the cloud storage.

DOMESTIC PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of and claims priority from U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/432,159, filed Feb. 14, 2017, which inturn claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/471,500,filed Aug. 28, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,614,871, issued Apr. 4, 2017,the contents of both of which are incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to security systems and, morespecifically, to cloud-based surveillance with intelligent tamperprotection.

To save video footage, current home surveillance systems use localstorage, such as digital video recorders (DVRs) or network attachedstorage on a home network. This puts the video data at high risk forvarious reasons. For instance, if the local storage fails, allsurveillance data may be lost, or recording may not take place at all.Further, if a potential intruder knows the location of the storage, thatintruder may be able to destroy the surveillance data. This possibilitymight create increased confidence for that intruder and, as a result,increased likelihood of intrusion.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment of this disclosure, a system includes a centralcommunication unit and a first surveillance device. The centralcommunication unit is communicatively connected over a network to cloudstorage in a remote location from the central communication unit. Thecommunicative connection is by way of a first transmission channel and asecond transmission channel, where the second transmission channel isredundant with the first transmission channel. The second transmissionchannel may further be independent of the first transmission channel.The first surveillance device is configured to record first surveillancedata on the premises of the central communication unit, and iscommunicatively connected to the central communication unit by way of athird transmission channel and a fourth transmission channel. The fourthtransmission channel is redundant with the third transmission channel.The fourth transmission channel may further be independent of the thirdtransmission channel. The first surveillance device is configured totransmit the first surveillance data to the central communication unit,and the central communication unit is configured to transmit the firstsurveillance data to the cloud storage.

In another embodiment, a computer implemented method for managing asecurity system includes receiving, at a central communication unit froma first surveillance device, a recording of first surveillance datacaptured by the first surveillance device. The first surveillance datais received by way of at least one of a first transmission channel and asecond transmission channel between the first surveillance device andthe central communication unit. The second transmission channel isredundant with the first transmission channel. The second transmissionchannel may further be independent of the first transmission channel.The first surveillance data is transmitted, from the centralcommunication unit to cloud storage, where the first surveillance datais transmitted by way of at least one of a third transmission channeland a fourth transmission channel between the first surveillance deviceand the central communication unit. The fourth transmission channel isredundant with the third transmission channel. The fourth transmissionchannel may further be independent of the third transmission channel.

In yet another embodiment, a computer program product for implementing asecurity system includes a computer readable storage medium havingprogram instructions embodied therewith, where the computer readablestorage medium is not a signal. The program instructions are executableby a processing circuit to cause the processing circuit to perform amethod. The method includes receiving, at a central communication unitfrom a first surveillance device, a recording of first surveillance datacaptured by the first surveillance device. The first surveillance datais received by way of at least one of a first transmission channel and asecond transmission channel between the first surveillance device andthe central communication unit. The second transmission channel isredundant with the first transmission channel. The second transmissionchannel may further be independent of the first transmission channel.Further according to the method, the first surveillance data istransmitted, from the central communication unit to cloud storage, wherethe first surveillance data is transmitted by way of at least one of athird transmission channel and a fourth transmission channel between thefirst surveillance device and the central communication unit. The fourthtransmission channel is redundant with the third transmission channel.The fourth transmission channel may further be independent of the thirdtransmission channel.

Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniquesof the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the inventionare described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimedinvention. For a better understanding of the invention with theadvantages and the features, refer to the description and to thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion ofthe specification. The forgoing and other features, and advantages ofthe invention are apparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a security system, in accordance withan embodiment.

FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram of a method for capturing surveillancedata, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of a method for providing power and datacommunication channels to the security system, in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of a computing device for implementingsome or all aspects of the security system, in accordance with anembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to this disclosure, a security system may manage surveillancedata using one or multiple forms of redundancy, thus providing reducedfallibility as compared to conventional security systems. To this end,the security system may leverage cloud storage to provide an extra layerof protection and stability to home or business monitoring. Someembodiments of the security system may have multiple storage locations,multiple power sources, and multiple transmission channels.Additionally, the security system may be enabled to alert authorities ifan invasion occurs, or in the case of certain failures or issues withthe security system. As a result, intruders may find severe difficultyin avoiding detection.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a security system 100, according to someembodiments of this disclosure. As shown, the security system 100 mayinclude a central communication unit 110 and one or more surveillancedevices 120, such as cameras 125 or microphones.

The surveillance devices 120, or recording devices, may be configured torecord activity on the premises of the security system 100. In someembodiments, these recordings may occur continuously. In otherembodiments, however, a surveillance device 120 may include sound ormotion detection technology, and may record only after sound or motionis detected. Each surveillance device 120 may capture surveillance datawhen recording.

Each surveillance device 120 may be directly or indirectly connected toa combination of one or more batteries, alternating current (AC) powersupply, direct current (DC) power supply, a power over Ethernet (POE)line, or other form of power source. As a result of this redundancy inpower sources, the surveillance device 120 may continue operating evenif one or more of the power sources fail.

The central communication unit 110 may be in communication with cloudstorage 150, and may also manage the surveillance devices 120. Thecentral communication unit 110 may include, for example, local storage111, a wireless router 112, one or more Ethernet ports 114, a cellulardevice 115, a battery 116, a modem 118, and a buffering unit 119. Insome embodiments, various other components may be included in thecentral communication unit 110, such as components providing additionalcommunication or power mechanisms. The buffering unit 119 may be made upof hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Further details of thebuffering unit 119 follow later in this disclosure.

The central communication unit 110 may provide local storage 111 forsurveillance data captured by the surveillance devices 120. Whensurveillance data, such as audio or video, is captured by a surveillancedevice 120, the surveillance device 120 may transmit this surveillancedata to the central communication unit 110 for storage. Thus, thecentral communication unit 110 may be in communication with thesurveillance devices 120.

In some embodiments, multiple transmission channels may be used betweeneach camera and the central communication unit 110. For example, and notby way of limitation, each surveillance device 120 may be connected tothe central communication unit 110 by one or more of the following:wired local area network (LAN), such as by use of Ethernet connected toan Ethernet port 114; wireless LAN, through connection to the wirelessrouter 112; cellular connection, through the cellular device 115;Bluetooth; or other mechanisms. The surveillance device 120 may transmitdata to the central communication unit 110 periodically, continuouslyduring capture, or according to various other schedules.

As mentioned above, the central communication unit 110 may also beconnected to cloud storage 150, which may include various types ofstorage in one or more remote locations. The connection to cloud storage150 may occur by way of various transmission channels over one or morenetworks. For example, the central communication unit 110 may beconnected to cloud storage 150 by one or more of the following: wiredLAN, such as by use of an Ethernet port 114; wireless LAN, such as byuse of the wireless router 112; dedicated landline, which may beconnected to the modem 118; or by use of the cellular device 115.

The central communication unit 110 may transmit, or back up,surveillance data to cloud storage 150 according to a schedule, whichmay be customizable by a user in some embodiments. For instance, in someembodiments, the surveillance data may be continuously transmitted,beginning as soon as the surveillance data is received at the centralcommunication unit 110 from one or more surveillance devices 120. Insome other embodiments, the surveillance data may be transmittedperiodically. After transmission, surveillance data may remain in localstorage 111 on the central communication unit 110 or, in someembodiments, it may be deleted. In the latter case, deletion may occuron a schedule. For example, surveillance data older than a predeterminedage may be deleted from local storage 111, while newer surveillance datais maintained. The predetermined age, if used, may be user-customizable.

In some embodiments, where the security system 100 includes more than asingle surveillance device 120, the central communication unit 110 maymake decisions regarding the order in which surveillance data from thevarious surveillance devices 120 is uploaded to cloud storage 150. Thesedecisions may also affect the order in which surveillance data isbuffered by the buffering unit 119, because surveillance data may bebuffered prior to being transmitted to cloud storage 150. In someembodiments, for example, the central communication unit 110 maytransmit the surveillance data in a round robin fashion, addressing eachsurveillance device 120 in turn by buffering and then transmitting itscorresponding surveillance data, or at least a portion of itssurveillance data.

The buffering unit 119 of the central communication unit 110 may bufferthe surveillance data prior to transmission to cloud storage 150. Inother words, the buffering unit 119 may prepare the surveillance datafor transmission. Such preparations may take various forms, and in someembodiments, the buffering unit 119 may determine which preparations toperform based on the current state of the security system 100. Thisdetermination may be based on various factors related to the state ofthe security system 100, such as, for example, the current power sourcesor data transmission channels being used. In some embodiments, theconditions under which a particular preparation is performed on thesurveillance data may be a set of user-customizable conditions.

For example, and not by way of limitation, the buffering unit 119 may becapable of reducing the file size of the surveillance data. Thisreduction may occur through various mechanisms, such as by reducing theresolution of video, removing frames from video, or encoding audio. Sucha reduction may reduce the time required to transmit the surveillancedata to cloud storage 150. In some embodiments, for instance, thebuffering unit 119 may opt to make such a reduction when the currentlyactive transmission channels to cloud storage 150 are relatively slow,such as a 3G cellular connection. In that case, the smaller data sizemay reduce the possibility that the security system 100 may experience afailure before the transmission is complete, and may allow thetransmission to keep closer pace with the recording of surveillancedata. For another example, if the security system 100 is currentlyexperiencing one or more failures, such as a power source beingdisconnected, the file size may be reduced to decrease transmissiontime, on the assumption that an attack currently in progress may be toblame for the failure.

In some embodiments, the central communication unit 110 may be enabledto alert external authorities, such as the local police, underpredetermined conditions, which conditions may be user-customizable. Tothis end, the central communication 110 may use one or more of itsavailable transmission channels, such as landline, cellular, or LAN, tocontact such authorities. The predetermined conditions under which thecentral communication unit 110 contacts authorities may vary based onimplementation or user-customization. For example, and not by way oflimitation, if the central communication unit 110 determines that atleast two of its attached power sources and communication mechanismshave failed, the central communication unit 110 may contact theauthorities, based on the assumption that an attack may be underway. Foranother example, if a user enters a false password a predeterminednumber of times in an attempt to disarm the security system 100, thecentral communication unit 110 may alert the authorities.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method 200 of capturing surveillance data,according to some embodiments of this disclosure. As shown, at block210, the security system 100 may maintain a steady state, during whichthe security system 100 and its various surveillance devices 120 maymonitor the premises for sound, movement, or both. At block 220, whenmovement is detected by a camera surveillance device 120, thatsurveillance device 120 may begin recording video. The threshold fordetection of movement, versus no movement, may be based on conventionalmechanisms. During or after recording, at block 230, the recordedsurveillance data may be streamed from the central communication unit110 to cloud storage 150. When the surveillance device 120 detects nofurther movement, it may stop recording and go back to monitoring formovement, at block 210.

At block 240, if sound is detected by a surveillance device 120, thesecurity system 100 may analyze that sound. The analysis may beperformed, for example, by the surveillance device 120 or by the centralcommunication unit 110. If the analyzed sound is assessed as a possiblethreat, then at block 220, the surveillance device 120 may beginrecording. If the analyzed sound is deemed not to be a threat, however,then the surveillance device 120 may go back to monitoring for movementand sound in the steady state of block 210.

At block 250, if no movement or sound is detected by a surveillancedevice 120 in the steady state of block 210, the surveillance device 120may occasionally capture images. The frequency with which images arecaptured may vary based on implementation or user-customization. Forexample, and not by way of limitation, images may be capturedperiodically at predetermined intervals. After a current image iscaptured, at block 260, the current image may be compared to a previousimage from the same surveillance device 120. If the current image isdeemed to be the same as, or sufficiently similar to, the previous imagecaptured during lack of detected movement, then the current image may beuploaded to cloud storage 150 only if the last uploaded image hasreached a predetermined age, at block 270. On the other hand, if thecurrent image differs from the previous one, then the current image maybe uploaded to cloud storage 150, at block 280. The surveillance device120 may then return to monitoring for movement and sound, at block 210.The determination of whether the previous and current images differ maybe based on conventional techniques for comparing images. For example,and not by way of limitation, the security system 100 may define imagesto be the sufficiently similar if a predetermined percentage of pixelsin the current image are within a predetermined color range of theircorresponding pixels in the previous image.

At block 290, a user may attempt to disarm the security system byentering a password or other credentials. If the user enters thecredentials incorrectly a predetermined number of times, which numbermay be user-customizable, the security system 100 may automaticallyalert the authorities, sound an alarm, or initiate another alertmechanism.

In some embodiments, the detection of sound and movement of method 200may be made separately for each surveillance device 120. In other words,for example, one surveillance device 120 may be recording after havingdetected movement, at block 220, while another is capturing occasionalimages in response to having detected no movement or sound, at block250. Further, it will be understood that other methods for capturingsurveillance data are also within the scope of this disclosure. Forexample, although the above description of method 200 refers to use ofmotion detection and video recording, an analogous method comprisingaudio detection only and microphones incapable of video recording andmotion detection is also within the scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method 300 for providing power and datatransmission channels to the central communication unit 110 of thesecurity system 100, according to some embodiments of this disclosure.As discussed above, the security system 100 may be connected to multiplepower sources and transmission channels. In some instances, one or morepower sources or transmission channels may fail, becoming unusable tothe security system 100. Failure may include, for example, becomingdisconnected from the security system 100 or otherwise not providingpower (i.e., in the case of a power source) or a data transmissioncapability (i.e., in the case of a transmission channel). In general, asshown, the security system 100 may verify power sources and transmissionchannels in a round robin fashion, using the highest priority (i.e.,deemed to be the best) power sources and transmission channels that areverifiable as useable.

As shown at block 310, the central communication unit 110 may have asteady state, during which it monitors its power sources, transmissionchannels, or both. At block 320, the central communication unit 110 mayverify that it is currently receiving AC power, or DC power in someembodiments. If AC power is being received, then no change need be madewith respect to the power sources of the central communication unit 110,which may continue monitoring for changes. If, however, AC power (or DCpower, in some embodiments) is not being received, the centralcommunication unit 110 may switch to battery power, at block 330.

At the steady state, the central communication unit 110 may also monitorits transmission channels. The central communication unit 110 may verifythat a LAN connection is live, at block 340 a. If a LAN connection isnot live, the central communication unit 110 may switch to transmissionover its cellular connection, at block 340 b. If the cellular connectioncannot be verified as live, the central communication unit 110 mayswitch to transmission by use of its modem connection, at block 340 c.If the modem connection cannot be verified as live, the centralcommunication unit 110 may switch over to its satellite connection, atblock 340d. If the satellite connection cannot be verified, the centralcommunication unit 110 may store data locally in its local storagedevice 111, at block 340 e, instead of transmitting the surveillancedata to cloud storage 150. In this example, as shown, the transmissionchannels are prioritized in the following order: LAN, cellular, modem,satellite, and then local storage (i.e., no transmission). It will beunderstood that other prioritizations may be made in some embodiments.In general, the prioritization may be based on transmission speed, withthe highest priority going to the transmission channel with the fastestexpected speed. Alternatively, in some embodiments, prioritization maybe based on reliability instead, or some combination of speed,reliability, and possibly other factors. The central communication unit110 may monitor its transmission channels in a round robin fashion anduse the one with the highest priority among those that can be verifiedas currently useable. Analogously, as shown, the central communicationunit 110 may prioritize the power sources and use the verifiable onewith the highest priority.

Analogously to method 300, each surveillance device 120 may prioritizeits power sources as well as its transmission channels to the centralcommunication unit 110. In some embodiments, the surveillance device 120may then use the verifiable power source with highest priority, as wellas the verifiable transmission channel with highest priority.

Referring to FIG. 3 again, if a connection change is made with respectto the transmission channels, at decision block 350, then a user may benotified of such change at block 360. In this way, the user may remaininformed about the state of the security system 100. In someembodiments, the user may also be informed when changes are made withrespect to which power source is being used. At block 370, the centralcommunication unit 110 may determine how many of its transmissionchannels are verifiable, i.e., useable. The security system 100 may usea critical threshold number of transmission channels, such that a numberlower than that may be deemed to be an issue, which may be indicative ofan ongoing attack. If, at block 370, it is determined that the currentnumber of verifiable transmission channels is less than that criticalthreshold, then at block 380, video recording and upload may begin. Atblock 390, the recorded surveillance data from such video recording maybe streamed to cloud storage 150.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a computer system 400 for use inimplementing a security system or method according to some embodiments.For example, in some embodiments, some aspects of the methods of FIGS. 2and 3 may be implemented in such a computer system 400. The securitysystems and methods described herein may be implemented in hardware,software (e.g., firmware), or a combination thereof. In an exemplaryembodiment, the methods described may be implemented, at least in part,in hardware and may be part of the microprocessor of a special orgeneral-purpose computer system 400, such as a personal computer,workstation, minicomputer, or mainframe computer.

In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the computer system 400includes a processor 405, memory 410 coupled to a memory controller 415,and one or more input devices 445 and/or output devices 440, such asperipherals, that are communicatively coupled via a local I/O controller435. These devices 440 and 445 may include, for example, a printer, ascanner, a microphone, and the like. A conventional keyboard 450 andmouse 455 may be coupled to the I/O controller 435. The I/O controller435 may be, for example, one or more buses or other wired or wirelessconnections, as are known in the art. The I/O controller 435 may haveadditional elements, which are omitted for simplicity, such ascontrollers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers, toenable communications.

The I/O devices 440, 445 may further include devices that communicateboth inputs and outputs, for instance disk and tape storage, a networkinterface card (NIC) or modulator/demodulator (for accessing otherfiles, devices, systems, or a network), a radio frequency (RF) or othertransceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge, a router, and the like.

The processor 405 is a hardware device for executing hardwareinstructions or software, particularly those stored in memory 410. Theprocessor 405 may be any custom made or commercially availableprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), an auxiliary processor amongseveral processors associated with the computer system 400, asemiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chipset), a macroprocessor, or other device for executing instructions. Theprocessor 405 includes a cache 470, which may include, but is notlimited to, an instruction cache to speed up executable instructionfetch, a data cache to speed up data fetch and store, and a translationlookaside buffer (TLB) used to speed up virtual-to-physical addresstranslation for both executable instructions and data. The cache 470 maybe organized as a hierarchy of more cache levels (L1, L2, etc.).

The memory 410 may include any one or combinations of volatile memoryelements (e.g., random access memory, RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM,etc.) and nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, erasable programmableread only memory (EPROM), electronically erasable programmable read onlymemory (EEPROM), programmable read only memory (PROM), tape, compactdisc read only memory (CD-ROM), disk, diskette, cartridge, cassette orthe like, etc.). Moreover, the memory 410 may incorporate electronic,magnetic, optical, or other types of storage media. Note that the memory410 may have a distributed architecture, where various components aresituated remote from one another but may be accessed by the processor405.

The instructions in memory 410 may include one or more separateprograms, each of which comprises an ordered listing of executableinstructions for implementing logical functions. In the example of FIG.4, the instructions in the memory 410 include a suitable operatingsystem (OS) 411. The operating system 411 essentially may control theexecution of other computer programs and provides scheduling,input-output control, file and data management, memory management, andcommunication control and related services.

Additional data, including, for example, instructions for the processor405 or other retrievable information, may be stored in storage 420,which may be a storage device such as a hard disk drive or solid statedrive. The stored instructions in memory 410 or in storage 420 mayinclude those enabling the processor to execute one or more aspects ofthe security systems and methods of this disclosure.

The computer system 400 may further include a display controller 425coupled to a display 430. In an exemplary embodiment, the computersystem 400 may further include a network interface 460 for coupling to anetwork 465. The network 465 may be an IP-based network forcommunication between the computer system 400 and any external server,client and the like via a broadband connection. The network 465transmits and receives data between the computer system 400 and externalsystems. In an exemplary embodiment, the network 465 may be a managed IPnetwork administered by a service provider. The network 465 may beimplemented in a wireless fashion, e.g., using wireless protocols andtechnologies, such as WiFi, WiMax, etc. The network 465 may also be apacket-switched network such as a local area network, wide area network,metropolitan area network, the Internet, or other similar type ofnetwork environment. The network 465 may be a fixed wireless network, awireless local area network (LAN), a wireless wide area network (WAN) apersonal area network (PAN), a virtual private network (VPN), intranetor other suitable network system and may include equipment for receivingand transmitting signals.

Security systems and methods according to this disclosure may beembodied, in whole or in part, in computer program products or incomputer systems 100, such as that illustrated in FIG. 4.

Technical effects and benefits include intelligent detection of, andreaction to, tampering in a security system 100. Due to the redundancyprovided through multiple power sources and multiple data transmissionmechanisms, embodiments of the security system 100 may drasticallyreduce the chances of lost or missing surveillance data, as compared toconventional security systems. In some embodiments, the security system100 may be autonomous, selecting which power sources and transmissionchannels to use based on provided settings, thus ensuring the securitysystem 100 stays up and running.

In one embodiment, a security system includes a central communicationunit and a first surveillance device, connected to each other by way ofa first transmission channel and a second transmission channel. Thesurveillance device is configured to record first surveillance data andto transmit that first surveillance data to the central communicationunit, which is configured to transmit the first surveillance data tocloud storage.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the central communication unit may be configured to use thefirst transmission channel to transmit the first surveillance data tothe cloud storage if the first transmission channel is verifiable asuseable, and to use the second transmission channel to transmit thefirst surveillance data to the cloud storage if the first transmissionchannel is not verifiable as useable

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the central communication unit may be enabled to transmitthe first surveillance data to the cloud storage by way of a pluralityof transmission channels, including the first transmission channel andthe second transmission channel. The central communication unit mayselect, for transmitting the first surveillance data to the cloudstorage, a verifiable transmission channel with highest priority fromamong the plurality of transmission channels.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the first surveillance device may be configured to beginrecording the first surveillance data based on a determination thatfewer than a critical threshold number of the plurality of transmissionchannels are verifiable.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the central communication unit may further include a firstpower source and a second power source, where the second power source isredundant with the first power source. The second power source mayfurther be independent of the first power source.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the first surveillance device may be configured to use athird transmission channel to transmit the first surveillance data tothe central communication unit if the third transmission channel isverifiable as useable. The first surveillance device may be furtherconfigured to use a fourth transmission channel to transmit the firstsurveillance data to the central communication unit if the thirdtransmission channel is not verifiable as useable.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the central communication unit may further include abuffering unit configured to perform preparations on the firstsurveillance data prior to the central communication unit transmittingthe first surveillance data to the cloud storage. The preparationsperformed by the buffering unit are dependent on a current state of thesecurity system.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the preparations performed by the buffering unit may bedependent on whether the first transmission channel is currently beingused to transmit the first surveillance data from the centralcommunication unit to the cloud storage.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the central communication unit may further include a firstpower source and a second power source, where the second power source isredundant with the first power source. In that case, the preparationsperformed by the buffering unit may be dependent on whether the firstpower source is currently being used. The second power source mayfurther be independent of the first power source.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, a second surveillance device is configured to record secondsurveillance data on the premises of the central communication unit. Thesecond surveillance device may be communicatively connected to thecentral communication unit. The second surveillance device is configuredto transmit the second surveillance data to the central communicationunit, where the central communication unit is further configured totransmit the second surveillance data to the cloud storage. The centralcommunication unit may be further configured to select an order in whichto transmit the first surveillance data and the second surveillance datato the cloud storage, and where the selected order is based on a roundrobin technique.

In another embodiment, a computer implemented method for managing asecurity system includes receiving first surveillance data at a centralcommunication unit, from a first surveillance device. The firstsurveillance data may be received at the central communication unit byway of a first transmission channel or a second transmission channel.The central communication unit may be configured to transmit the firstsurveillance data to cloud storage, by way of a third transmissionchannel or a fourth transmission channel.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the central communication unit may be configured to use thethird transmission channel to transmit the first surveillance data tothe cloud storage if the third transmission channel is verifiable asuseable, and to use the fourth transmission channel to transmit thefirst surveillance data to the cloud storage if the third transmissionchannel is not verifiable as useable.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the central communication unit may be enabled to transmitthe first surveillance data to the cloud storage by way of a pluralityof transmission channels, including the third transmission channel andthe fourth transmission channel. The central communication unit mayselect, for transmitting the first surveillance data to the cloudstorage, a verifiable transmission channel with highest priority fromamong the plurality of transmission channels.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the first surveillance device may be configured to beginrecording the first surveillance data based on a determination thatfewer than a critical threshold number of the plurality of transmissionchannels are verifiable.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the first surveillance device may be configured to use thefirst transmission channel to transmit the first surveillance data tothe central communication unit if the first transmission channel isverifiable as useable, and to use the second transmission channel totransmit the first surveillance data to the central communication unitif the first transmission channel is not verifiable as useable.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the method may perform buffering preparations on the firstsurveillance data prior to the central communication unit transmittingthe first surveillance data to the cloud storage.

The buffering preparations performed may be dependent on a current stateof the security system.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the buffering preparations performed may be dependent onwhether the third transmission channel is currently being used totransmit the first surveillance data from the central communication unitto the cloud storage.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the central communication unit may include a first powersource and a second power source. The second power source is redundantwith the first power source. In that case, the buffering preparationsperformed may be dependent on whether the first power source iscurrently being used. The second power source may further be independentof the first power source.

In yet another embodiment, a computer program product for implementing asecurity system includes a computer readable storage medium that is nota signal. The computer readable storage medium includes programinstructions for a processing circuit to perform a method. The methodincludes receiving first surveillance data at a central communicationunit, from a first surveillance device. The first surveillance data maybe received at the central communication unit by way of a firsttransmission channel or a second transmission channel. The centralcommunication unit may be configured to transmit the first surveillancedata to cloud storage, by way of a third transmission channel or afourth transmission channel.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, the central communication unit may be enabled to transmitthe first surveillance data to the cloud storage by way of a pluralityof transmission channels, including the third transmission channel andthe fourth transmission channel. The central communication unit may beconfigured to select, for transmitting the first surveillance data tothe cloud storage, a verifiable transmission channel with highestpriority from among the plurality of transmission channels. The firstsurveillance device may be configured to begin recording the firstsurveillance data based on a determination that fewer than a criticalthreshold number of the plurality of transmission channels areverifiable.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like,and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer implemented method for managing asecurity system, the computer-implemented method comprising: receiving,at a central communication unit from a first surveillance device, arecording of first surveillance data captured by the first surveillancedevice, wherein the first surveillance data is received by way of atleast one of a first transmission channel and a second transmissionchannel between the first surveillance device and the centralcommunication unit, wherein the second transmission channel is redundantwith the first transmission channel; transmitting the first surveillancedata, from the central communication unit to a cloud storage, whereinthe first surveillance data is transmitted by way of at least one of athird transmission channel and a fourth transmission channel between thefirst surveillance device and the central communication unit, whereinthe fourth transmission channel is redundant with the third transmissionchannel; and performing buffering preparations on the first surveillancedata prior to the central communication unit transmitting the firstsurveillance data to the cloud storage, wherein the bufferingpreparations performed are dependent on a current state of the securitysystem.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein thecentral communication unit is configured to use the first transmissionchannel to transmit the first surveillance data to the cloud storage ifthe first transmission channel is verifiable as useable, and wherein thecentral communication unit uses the second transmission channel totransmit the first surveillance data to the cloud storage if the firsttransmission channel is not verifiable as useable.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the centralcommunication unit is enabled to transmit the first surveillance data tothe cloud storage by way of a plurality of transmission channels,including the first transmission channel and the second transmissionchannel, and wherein the central communication unit is configured toselect, for transmitting the first surveillance data to the cloudstorage, a verifiable transmission channel with highest priority fromamong the plurality of transmission channels.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the first surveillancedevice is configured to begin recording the first surveillance databased on a determination that fewer than a critical threshold number ofthe plurality of transmission channels are verifiable.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the centralcommunication unit further comprises a first power source and a secondpower source, wherein the second power source is redundant with thefirst power source.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the first surveillance device is configured to use the firsttransmission channel to transmit the first surveillance data to thecentral communication unit if the first transmission channel isverifiable as useable, and wherein the first surveillance device isconfigured to use the second transmission channel to transmit the firstsurveillance data to the central communication unit if the firsttransmission channel is not verifiable as useable.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the bufferingpreparations performed are dependent on whether the first transmissionchannel is currently being used to transmit the first surveillance datafrom the central communication unit to the cloud storage.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the centralcommunication unit comprises a first power source and a second powersource, wherein the second power source is redundant with the firstpower source, and wherein the buffering preparations performed aredependent on whether the first power source is currently being used. 9.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: a secondsurveillance device is configured to record second surveillance data onthe premises of the central communication unit, and is communicativelyconnected to the central communication unit; the second surveillancedevice is configured to transmit the second surveillance data to thecentral communication unit; and the computer-implemented method furthercomprising: transmitting the second surveillance data from the centralcommunication unit to the cloud storage; and selecting, by the centralcommunication unit, an order in which to transmit the first surveillancedata and the second surveillance data to the cloud storage, wherein theselected order is based on a round robin technique.